A summer story
by ni-you-wo-de-xin
Summary: [HIATUS]You still miss him, don't you? He asks softly. Always. Then I see him, and it's as much as I can take. I see the lights dimming around me before passing out on the floor. [Later mild SasuNaru coming soon] [NejiOC].
1. Chapter 1: Summer Rain

The bell rang, and Natsu shoved al her books back into the grey messenger bag slung over the back of her chair, taking special care to make sure that the cover of her battered black notebook didn't get bent any more than it already was. She tossed the bag over her shoulder, and headed off to her next class. She had creative writing and composition, her favorite class of the week. It was such a shame she only had it on Fridays.

Natsu took her regular seat in the back of the room by the only uncovered window, and tucked a stray strand of silky black hair behind her right ear. She reached into her bag and pulled out a ringed notebook with a black cover covered in band stickers. She flipped it open and turned to the first page that she could find that still had empty space on it. She had to write sideways to fit her words around what she had written last week, but it didn't matter. She clicked the button on her black ballpoint on the desk distractedly, already composing her work in her mind.

_Summer Rain,_

_So sad,_

_Watching tears fall down your perfect face._

_Flawless lashes bat away crystal drops,_

_And for us in this moment,_

_Time never stops._

_Because sadness is all we know,_

_And pain is something we can't feel,_

_And fire never burns,_

_But the lies all seem so real._

_Summer Rain,_

_A time for the living,_

_The next chapter in a book,_

_That I stopped writing,_

_So many years ago._

_We all stop sometime,_

_And for the strangest reasons,_

_But it's true,_

_Because it never rains in summer,_

_But it will rain every day for you._

Natsu didn't know where these words came from, they just flowed. She leaned back in her chair, eyes closed, and waited. She was a very silent person, and didn't socialize very well. The bell rang again, signaling that class was begging, and all was quiet.

"I'm sorry I'm late Kurenai-sensei!" A shrill voice pierced the calm.

'_I guess it's true what they say… Opposites do attract.'_

"Hey Natsu, sorry I'm late again!" the blonde said as he slipped into his seat to the right of hers. "I was walking down the hall and-"

"Shh." I whispered in an aggravated tone.

"Oh, gomen. You're having your "thinking time" again." I could practically hear the quotation marks around the words thinking time the way he said them so exaggeratedly.

I simply nodded my head.

The loud blonde pulled a big orange binder out of his blue backpack, and started doodling. I opened my eyes half way and stared over his shoulder. He was really very good, he just never let anyone look at his work. I then went back to focusing on her work. I had to come up with some complete lyrics by that afternoon.

_Tears slide down glass,_

_Outside it's raining._

_The sky cries for the,_

_Sad and the broken hearted._

_She can't stand up for herself._

_Spinning in circles,_

_And slowly she's falling._

_Moonlight,_

_A spotlight to put you on the scene._

_In daytime,_

_Know that everyone is watching._

_Your every move is judged,_

_And nothing you do will,_

_Ever be good enough,_

_For them._

_For him._

_Run away and,_

_Run faster._

_You'll never make it there like this,_

_Dear._

_Know what you want,_

_And know that you have to chase it._

_Nothing comes for free to those who are saddened by,_

_Someone screams,_

_A moment is frozen just for her._

_Sees something,_

_Horrible,_

_Can't be described with words._

_It's nothing,_

_That's what she tells herself,_

_Every morning._

_Only a mater of time,_

_Until she leaves it all,_

_Behind,_

_The lies,_

_The uncovered truths,_

_And no one is watching you,_

_Tonight._

_Unloved,_

_It hurts,_

_Doesn't it?_

Satisfied with her work Natsu closed the book and put it away.

"So, you got tomorrow's stuff?"

I nod, eyes closed again.

"Looks like I'm coming over then." He turns his attention back to the sketch he's doing. I don't even need to look to know who it is. It's been the same person for months now. An entire sketchbook full of him, and Naruto still hasn't had enough. It's my goal to try and get the two of them together. It's the least I can give him, after he saved me from loosing everything.

My index finger pushes up the sleeve of my black shirt and traces the mark on my left wrist absentmindedly. Naruto puts down his pencil and looks to me, eyes full of genuine concern.

"You still miss him, don't you?" He asks softly.

"Always."

He smiles sadly, and it makes me want to apologize. I want to say I'm sorry for dragging him down with me like this, but I can't. I'm such a selfish person. I don't deserve someone as kind hearted as him.

"Well, the bell's gonna ring soon." Naruto shoves the binder back into his bag just as class ends, and we head off to last homeroom with Mr. Hatake.

Today is one of those days, the more painful ones. It always hurts more when it rains, my heart.

Then I see him, and it's as much as I can take. I see the lights dimming around me, and manage to whisper Naruto's name in a desperate attempt to get his attention before passing out on the floor.


	2. Chapter 2: Amnesia

It was all Naruto could do not to go up to him and scream that it was all his fault Natsu had a condition like this, but he knew he wouldn't understand, and he had to get her to the nurse right away. He leaned down to pick her up, but she was at least three inches taller than him. Seeing his situation, someone volounteered to help him. He turned to face the nice person, and his face went pale.

"You look like you need help. I'll help you, but we should hurry. We have to bring her to the nurse quickly." He said. Naruto mentally berated himself _'How could I have not remembered that voice?'_ But the truth of the matter was, he needed help, and no one else was offering. Most people had already headed back to class.

"O…Okay." Each boy put one of Natsu's arms over their shoulder, then they lifted her and dragged her to the nurse.

"Naruto-kun! It happened again?" Tsunade said, jumping up form her chair. "Shizune! Get out here! It's Natsu!" A blacked haired woman came out from the bathroom attached to the nurse's room.

Tsunade took Natsu and carried her over to one of the two cots sitting in the corner of the room.

"Naruto, you stay here." She said sternly. "You may go back to class now... Neji." The way she said the brunette's name so coldly sent shivers down Naruto's spine.

Neji looked at her questioningly, and then left. Naruto sat on the foot of Natsu's cot. Tsunade sat back in the chair behind her desk and sighed, her right elbow resting on the desk, hand supporting her forehead. Shizune stood silently in the back of the room, concern in her eyes. Naruto and Natsu came to the office quite often, but normally it was when she felt weak, about to faint. Tsunade lifted her head and turned to Naruto, her gaze demanding an explanation.

"She was writing, and then the bell rang, and he was there…" The blonde knew he didn't have to say any more.

"Come on, the day's almost over. No one will care if I leave early. I'll bring you two to your place." The blonde nurse said as she walked over to the girls unconscious form.

"Sure. Thanks."

The two walked silently to her car, taking care to make sure that no one else was around. Tsunade put her in the backseat, and Naruto climbed in beside her. They drove in silence for five minutes, and then Tsunade carried Natsu up the two flights of stairs to her and Naruto's apartment. She lay the girl on her bed and left.

"Naruto, I trust you to take care of her. Got it?"

"Yeah."

After she left, Naruto made himself a bowl of instant ramen, ate it and went into Natsu's room. He watched her pale, calm face, black hair spread around her head messily.

"Why Natsu? Why can't you give it up? It's not your fault you know." And for the first time in a long time, he shed tears. He knew no one was watching, so he didn't bother to wipe them away. He just let them fall, leaving small dark spots on his jeans, like rain.

"Please," her voice was almost a whisper. "Don't cry over me Naruto. I'm not worth it." She smiled feebly. Naruto shook his head sadly, and left, closing the door behind him.

Natsu made dinner for the two as usual, then went to finish her homework. That night, Naruto dreamt of the accident.

_Three people were driving in a red convertible with the top down. It was summer, and Natsu's boyfriend Neji had just gotten his license. He lived with his uncle who was very rich, and as congratulations, he had bought him the car. The two were accompanied by Natsu's best friend, Naruto, and the plan was to go see a movie, then go to the mall._

_Neji was eighteen, and a senior in high school. Natsu was seventeen, and also a senior, but Naruto was sixteen, and only a junior._

"_Natsu, you wanna try?" Neji asked._

"_I shouldn't, really."_

"_Oh come on. You're getting your license I three months, and I taught you, remember? You're a way better driver than I am."_

"_Well, Okay." She and Neji switched seats, and Natsu started driving towards the theater. Suddenly, a truck driving on the wrong side of the road ran a red light and hit the passenger side of the small red car. It didn't even stop, it was going way too fast, it just turned the corner, and the end of the trailer hit the car. The three were sent spinning across the road, and hit a streetlamp._

_The next thing Naruto remembered, he was in the hospital, and he had an inhuman headache. Natsu was sitting in the plastic chair in the corner of the room, a cast encasing her left leg, and there were a pair of crutches leaning on the wall beside her. Her eyes here closed but when Naruto trued to get up, they shot open._

"_Don't even try to get up Naruto. You have a huge cut on the side of your head. Nothing serious, but you're probably still weak from blood loss."_

"_How about you? You okay?"_

"_Yeah." She smiled sadly. "Just a broken leg." She stared at the floor._

"_And Neji?"_

_She sobbed, and then came the tears._

"_I don't know! They won't let me see him! He's in the ER, and the truck hit his door! His uncle's furious! I don't know what to do! It's all my fault!"_

_Naruto was horrified. "It's okay Natsu. Really, it's fine. It's not your fault at all." Just then, the door opened and a nurse stepped in._

"_Ah, Naruto-san. I see you're away, you'll be free to go in the morning. We just want to run some routine checkups on you. Okay?"_

"_Yeah, sure, whatever. How's Neji?" The blonde asked eagerly._

_The nurse said nothing for a moment, and then whispered one word so softly it was almost inaudible._

"_Amnesia."_


	3. Chapter 3: First Meetings, Last Goodbyes

Natsu woke abruptly, brow drenched in cold sweat. She had just had that dream again. The one where she relived it all. And worst of all, she mostly only saw the good times.

When Neji had brought her to Six Flags and helped her get over her fear of roller coasters for her thirteenth birthday, they were still just friends then. They didn't start dating until they were fifteen. And when they went to a karaoke bar and a sugar high Naruto tried to sing 'Survivor'. And all the other wonderful things he had done for her.

And the dream ended when his uncles Hyuuga Hiashi, had told her that she couldn't visit him in the rehabilitation clinic where he was, and that if she even so much as talked to him t school, she would tell the police that she had been driving without a license that day, She could face years in jail.

And because of the type of amnesia he had, he forgot all the people that he knew before the accident, and because he and Natsu had been dating in secret form his other jock popular friends, they didn't tell him about her.

Natsu was a part of the crowd labeled "artsy goth emo rejects". In other words, Neji's popular soccer team friends had no clue who she was, and the two had decided together that it was best if it stayed that way.

So Neji had no recollection of her, and yet they were both in the same highschool. Both repeated their senior year. Neji was in the rehab center for the rest of that school year, and Natsu had "moved". She lived with her aunt Yuuhi Kurenai, and after the accident, she had agreed to let Natsu live on her own a while, far away to help her cope with the trauma. So she had abandoned school that year, and came back the next year.

Luckily, the only classes the two had together were lunch and art, and she was mostly able to ignore him. Lord knows it was easy enough for him to ignore her.

Natsu often wondered why he didn't talk to her anymore. After the accident, did something shift in his brain tat he was no longer interested in her? She could remember vividly the day the two first met each other.

_Natsu walked into her Creative Writing and Composition class, and sat in the back of the room. It was a habit she had, and she tried to sit as far back as she could in all her classes. She ripped a black scrunchie off her thin right wrist, and unceremoniously wrapped her long dark hair in a loose low ponytail._

_The bell rang, and a few last students hurried into class, hoping that their teacher didn't see, but of course she did. Disapproving glares all around, but she remained silent, a soft sigh escaping her lips._

"_Okay class, listen up." She said firmly. "Now I know that normally this is just a shut up and write class, but today, it's half way though the school year, I want you guys to read me something you've written at some point in this class. Got it? Natsu, you're up first."_

_Natsu sighed exasperatedly, took a notebook out of her bag, and walked to the front of the room. She flipped through the pages absentmindedly before she found something she liked._

"And so the tears do fall like rain,

And so all ambition is lost once again,

Swept away by the raging river,

And good ideas hang from ropes,

Never better.

Smile and bow for another impostor,

A doormat to be stepped on,

Always quiet but wanting to be louder.

A mask falls apart,

And slowly it does shatter,

But no one picks up the pieces,

Because no one loves a monster."

_She went and walked calmly back to her seat. Some were already whispering about how strange she was, others ignored her, and some were gaping in open mouthed shock. The first to speak up was another freshman. Natsu recognized him as the captain of the soccer team. The one who sat with his friends at lunch and laughed and smiled at all the right times and said all the right things._

_All her words were based off people, always people she didn't know, but felt like she knew something others didn't by careful observation. This one was about him. Sometimes, his carefully built façade would falter, and a bit of sadness and desperation would slip through. Natsu watched him, and saw many fake smiles and forced laughs. She wondered sometimes is anyone knew, or if they even cared. She told herself it didn't matter though, because he didn't even know who she was._

"_That was very well written." He said politely. His remark caught Natsu off guard, but she quickly regained composure._

"_Thank you." She sat._

"_Neji, would you please read something?"_

"_Yes Miss Kurenai._

Running and hiding,

Sitting and waiting.

For what?

I'm not sure,

But something is coming.

The winds of change start blowing,

And a leaf falls in my face,

A feather it would seem,

From a free bird long flown away."

_Natsu remembered being astonished that someone like him could write so well. She also mentally berated herself for stereotyping him._

She shuddered, and decided that today was not a day for wallowing in self-pity. It was a bright and sunny warm Saturday, and she refused to let old memories ruin her day. She had plans with Naruto anyway. It was their movie day, and this time it was chick flick week. The plan was to go see _Elizabethtown_. 'Oh joy.' Natsu thought enthusiastically (not the sarcasm…).

**Well, this one was not so good, I just wanted to get another chapter up sooner, detailing a bit their pasts… Heh, hope you don't hate me for it. Yes, there will be SasuNaru, eventually. This wasn't originally written to be a SasuNaru fic though, so please, be patient and bare with me.**


	4. Chapter 4: Chick Flicks and Ice Cream

**Well, um… I have so many fics going right now. I just realized it when I was sorting through them all trying to get everything in order on my trusty USB drive. Everything is sorted into folders, and subfolders, and some more subfolders… I'm so neurotic sometimes.**

**Well, for anyone reading this who reads my other fics and wants to complain about my not updating or not posting real chapters, feel free to throw things and flame and yell, I know, I'm terrible. I write chapters for what I fell like and what I have inspiration for at the moment, and right now, that's not much. I think I might also set up yes, another fic for all my oneshots, because I have so many ideas for oneshots (like, everything inspires them…), and nowhere to put them.**

**Also, I'm working on an AU highschool fic, and I'll put it up eventually if it's any good.**

**Sorry for the long rant, and on with the chapter!**

Natsu was standing in front of Naruto's apartment door, tapping her foot in time with the loud music streaming out of the headphones in her ears. She knocked again, louder this time, just in case he hadn't hear the first three or four attempts. The door opened, and Natsu caught a fleeting glimpse of Naruto running away, preoccupied by something else. Natsu let herself in.

"Gomen Natsu! Make yourself at home! I put the popcorn in the microwave for to long, and I think it exploded…"

Natsu mentally smacked her forehead. Naruto was forever doing strange things like this. She head the sound of a microwave door being opened and slammed closed repeatedly, and a thin film of smoke, along with the stench of burned butter wafted into the room. Natsu took or her black shoulder bag and tossed it on the couch before flopping down next to it. She pulled a grey sketchpad out of the bag and a charcoal pencil. She was just about to start putting the finishing touches on a drawing she had started last night, but gave up when she heard cursing and crashing noises coming form he direction of the kitchen.

"Hey Naruto, you need any help in there?"

More crashing sounds were heard from the kitchen as forks and spoons clattered to the floor. Natsu heard Naruto curse under his breath a few more times before inhaling deeply.

"Maybe just a little bit." He said sheepishly. Natsu laughed and jumped over the back of the couch.

"Ew! Naruto! It reeks in here!" He shot her a death glare before going back to scrubbing the inside of the microwave with a wet paper towel.

"Baka. That's never gonna work. Try some soap. Oh, never mind. I'll do it. Just, go open a window or something. And the door. No, wait, not the door. We don't want other people to smell this. And try to fan the smoke alarm with a book or something so the smoke alarm doesn't go off. The last thing we need is for you to get arrested for attempted arson because you burned some popcorn…"

Naruto ran off to go complete the list of tasks Natsu had just assigned him, starting by wrestling with the window in the living room, and then running around frantically staring at the ceiling attempting to locate the smoke alarm. It was in the living room above the couch, and the little red light was already flashing rapidly, indicating that it was about to go off. Naruto jumped on the couch, and grabbed the closest book-like thing he could find. It just so happened that there was a sketchpad by his feet. He grabbed it and began flapping it around the smoke alarm desperately trying to calm the little light.

A folded paper fell out from between two of the pages. Naruto stopped his fanning to unfold it and look at it. He stole Natsu's sketches all the time. Some of them were very good.

What he saw on the page filled him with a crushing feeling of sadness, even though he should have expected something of the like.

There were small sketches of him all around the page. Running during track practice, eating lunch, kicking a soccer ball, reading books. All of them were drawn around a larger sketch in the center. It was him, head leaning on a desk, eyes closed, sleeping calmly. He looked like he was having a good dream.

Naruto flipped the paper around, and found a few sentences scribbled on the back in pencil.

_I wonder if he is dreaming of me. Probably not. He hasn't said a word to me all year. Hasn't spared me a passing glance. I'm not worth it. Why would he? He has so many friends, and followers, admirers…_

A shrill rhythmic beating interrupted Naruto as the forgotten smoke alarm went crazy. The blonde folded the page and slipped it back between two random pages hurriedly as he resumed fanning. Natsu came out of the kitchen, alerted of Naruto's failure by the noise.

"Naruto-baka! You were supposed to be fanning the smoke away!"

Naruto scratched the back of his neck guiltily. "Gomen! Gomen!" The beeping stopped. "There! See? It stopped!" Naruto posed triumphantly, and Natsu burst out laughing.

"Come on, I made another bag of popcorn. Start the movie, I'll go put it in a bowl and grab some sodas." She turned and went back into the kitchen, and Naruto turned on the DVD player and tossed the disk in flipping through the channels on the TV with the remote until he found the right one. Then he fast-forwarded through the ads until he got to the menu right as Natsu came back in with a bowl of steaming popcorn and two cans of coke.

She put the popcorn down, and moved her stuff back into her bag. She tossed Naruto one of the cans and popped open the other one as she sat. It made a small fizzing noise as the little bubbles escaped from the air-tight aluminum. Naruto hit the play button and fell onto the couch with a good four or five inches between him and his best friend.

They got to the part with Orlando Blooms elaborate suicide bike, and gave up when he answered the call from his sister.

"So he's gonna go there, fall in love with Kirsten Dunst, and they're gonna live happily ever after… So cheesy! What's the point of watching this?" Naruto exclaimed, frustrated. It was the same every time they watched a chick flick. They almost never finished. Last time it was the Bollywood remake of Pride and Prejudice, cleverly titled _Bride_ and Prejudice. One of the two would complain about how sappy and predictable it all was, they would give up. Turn off the TV and go get some ice cream from the store down the street from Naruto's place.

They were at the last stage of that routine tradition now, walking down the street with their jackets closed tightly to keep out the cool November wind. No matter what season, ice cream after an abandoned movie was a must. Natsu pushed open the door to let Naruto step though, the little silver bells tied to the top ringing merrily. The shopkeeper looked up from his book and smiled at them. They were regulars. They came every Saturday, and sometimes after school too.

"Hello my youthful friends! How are you today?" He asked joyfully. His name was Maito Gai, and he was just a bit strange. He liked the use the term "springtime of youth" in about every sentence, and he had huge eyebrows and a strange taste in clothing. Tight green pants and a tight dark green shirt completed his ensemble, although you could often see the bright orange socks sticking out from his black hiking boots.

Strange though he may be, Gai's store had the best ice cream in town.

"Pretty good. It's freezing out there!" Naruto emphasized his point by rubbing his hands together. Gai laughed heartily.

"You two want your regular again?" he asked.

"Yes please!" The two replied in unison.

"Alright! One lemon sorbet and one coconut soft serve coming up! Just grab a seat at the booth, and you can hang your jackets on the hook by the door!"

Naruto hung his puffy orange jacket and took of his red scar and hung them on the rack. Natsu unbuttoned her long black trench coat and unwound the black scar from her neck and hung then up next to her friend's clothes. Her neon pink fishnet arm socks got caught on the hook and ripped a bit.

"Damn." She muttered.

"Please, no cursing! It is very un-youthful!" Gai exclaimed.

Natsu apologized, and Naruto handed her her cone of coconut ice cream.

"So Natsu, we still haven't gone over they lyrics yet, and the show is tonight at ten."

"Yeah, I know. Hey, you got your outfit already picked out?"

"Nah, we gotta go to the mall. My pants have a huge rip in the knee. Anyway, I don't want to wear jeans again."

"Sure, we'll go right after this. Oh no, I have to go back to your place. I left my bag there. It has my wallet in it."

**Well, next chapter they're gonna go shopping, and run into Sasuke. I know this chapter had like, no point at all, except I guess to show that she still stalks him, and to bring more depth to Naruto and Natsu's friendship…**

**Until the next chapter! Ja ne!**


	5. Chapter 5: The Show

**So here's the fifth chapter, to make up for the insanely long rant here last time, I'm gonna keep it short and sweet.**

**Disclaimer (that I forgot I the past four chapters): I DON'T OWN NARUTO! NONE OF US FICTION WRITERS DO!!!!! I do however own Natsu.**

**Also, I apologize for all the spelling errors in the past chapters. I just reread them, and it was horrible!!!! I apologize! I apologize to the whole world!!!! (Okay, over dramatic apologizing time over… Heh)**

At the mall after ice cream

"Hey Naruto, let's stop here! I love Hot Topic!" Natsu exclaimed as they passed the store.

"Huh? Sure!"

Natsu was a slow shopper. This was something that Naruto had learned a long time ago, back when he first went to the mall with her. It had been okay though, because Neji had been a really slow shopper too. The two would spend forever in each store looking at everything, and then buying nothing.

So thirty minutes later, Natsu and Naruto walked out of Hot Topic. She had bought a black T-shirt that said 'I PROBABLY HATE YOU' on it in pink, and a wristband that said 'Let's not ruin this with words…' Naruto got a pair of baggy black chain pants and a red T-shirt with a picture of a ninja on it that said 'My parents said I could be anything I want when I grow up, so I decided to be a ninja'. It was a bit cynical though, because neither one of the two knew their real parents.

Their next stop was the Newbury Comics. Natsu bought the HelloGoodbye CD, and Naruto got the newer All American Rejects CD.

To end the day, they went to Forever 21, because as out of character as the store was for her, Natsu often found some good things there. For instance, today she picked up a pair of faded grey low rise jeans that matched her new shirt and favorite combat boots perfectly.

As they were about to leave, they ran into none other than Uchiha Sasuke. In Naruto's case, it was quite literal. He had been talking to Natsu about how creepy the sales lady at the store had looked, so he wasn't looking where he was going. He fell backwards, dropping his shopping bag.

"Watch where you're going loser!" The black haired Uchiha said venomously as he turned around to stare at the fallen blonde.

"Hey! Look bastard, don't talk to my friend like that!" Natsu exclaimed. She wasn't one to sit around and let her best friend get insulted.

"Oh shut it bitch." Sasuke said coldly as he walked away. He had a reputation for being an uncaring badass.

Natsu ran after him, grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around harshly.

"Hey! Don't you bitch me! Got it?" She shook her hand off as if she had some sort of deadly disease. He tried to walk away again, but she stopped him.

"Hey! I'm talking to you. You should apologize for crashing into my friend like that! Pay attention next time. Jeez." She was ready to throw a violent string of curses at him when Naruto came up to her and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Stop Natsu. He's not worth it." He whispered.

Natsu huffed spun on her heel and walked off. She would listen to him his time, but only this time. He was always acting like such a jerk. He thought he was better than everyone else because stupid girls threw themselves at his feet. She heard Naruto running to catch up to her.

"Hey! What was that all about? You really lost it there!" He said animatedly.

"Nothing. You shouldn't let him insult you like that Naruto."

He looked down at his feet, but continued walking. "I know." He whispered.

Natsu patted him on the back, and dropped him back off at his place on her way home.

She was going to go home and clean up before the show. It was already seven thirty. She and Naruto had stopped to get pizza on the way back for dinner.

When she got home, she hung her coat and bag on the silver hook nailed to the back of the door. She went into the kitchen and pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge. Kurenai was a fanatic about bottled water.

"Oh! Natsu! You're home? Do you have a show tonight? You do, right?" He aunts voice floated over to her from the direction of her study. Kurenai was a novelist in her spare time. She also taught the creative writing class and Spanish.

"Yup Aunt Kurenai!" Natsu yelled back.

"Just be home by one! Okay?"

"Sure thing Aunt Kurenai."

"Oh, and, come here a sec, would ya?" Natsu walked over to her Aunt's office, shopping bags and water still in tow.

"What's up?" Natsu asked. Her aunt looked up from the screen of her laptop.

"Oh, nothing much. Just wanted to say hello is all. Oh! You went shopping again?" She said when she took notice of the bags.

"Yeah."

"So, did you get anything good?" Even though they wore completely different styles of clothing, Kurenai loved looking at the new clothes that Natsu bought. She pulled out the shirt, she wasn't much for angry words like that, but the jeans the other hand, she loved those.

"Oh! Natsu-chan! These are so cute! Where'd you get them???"

"Forever 21." Her Aunt looked puzzled.

"Really? That doesn't seem like your kind of place."

Natsu shrugged. "Eh, I find some good things in there every once in a while." Her aunt smiled.

"Well then, you'd better start getting ready. You only have 45 minutes 'til you have to go get Naru-chan!" Naru-chan was Kurenai's nickname for Naruto. He didn't much appreciate it, but he learned to accept it, because when Kurenai came up with a nickname for someone, it stuck.

Natsu went back to her room, grabbing a dark green towel out of the linens closet on the way. She opened the silver metal jewelry box sitting on the corner of her desk, and began picking her accessories for the night. The picked out a pair of star shaped hoop earrings so big they sometimes got caught on the collar of er shirt, a black silk ribbon choker, her slightly ripped pink fishnet arm sox, the new wristband and a bunch of black and pink rubber bracelets. She grabbed a pair of fishnet tights, her new pants and her new shirt, and went to the bathroom.

The steam from the hot water rose and filled the small shower room, making the air humid and heavy. Natsu quickly jumped under the jet of hot water, and sighed as it rolled down over her cold body, making her shiver a little. She poured a glob of shampoo into her right palm and lathered it through her long black hair, and rinsed it and repeated the process with conditioner. She soaped her body and turned off the water. She pushed open the door while squeezing some of the water out of her hair and gasped as the cold air hit her.

She brushed and blow dried her hair, attempting to keep short strands from sticking up all over the place by combing in some leave-in conditioner, and then she began to dress. Clothes first, then accessories. She tossed her old clothes in the hamper, put the towel on the rack, and walked back to her room. She checked the clock. She still had ten minutes.

She kneeled down on the floor in front of her full length mirror, and opened her small makeup bag. She put on some heavy black eyeliner, thick mascara, and some deep red lipstick that made her pale skin look even paler in contrast. On an afterthought, she brushed a little glitter on her lids.

She checked the clock again, ran to the kitchen grabbing another bottle of water and two granola bars, and slipped on her bag and black trench coat winding the scarf around her pale neck tightly before sprinting down to the parking lot.

She jumped in the car, and sped off to Naruto's apartment. When she got there he was already standing on the sidewalk. She pulled over and he jumped into the passenger seat. She gave him the other granola bar.

"Thanks!" He said enthusiastically. He was wearing his chain pants, a plain grey T-shirt, fingerless leather gloves, and he had his dark blue electric guitar in its case. He tossed it in the backseat carefully. "So, you know where we're going, right? And, you better step on it, we're gonna be late! We've only got seven minutes!"

"Don't have a panic attack Naru." Natsu said laughing. "I know exactly where we're going, and we'll make it there with precisely two minutes to spare." And with that, she began driving like a mad woman.

Exactly five minutes later, Natsu parked right outside the club. Two minutes early, on the dot. She hopped out of the car, popped the trunk, and pulled out her guitar case. The two walked into Club Flash side by side ready to rock.

The bouncer looked them up and down suspiciously. "I'm gonna need to see some ID."

Natsu smiled at him. "We're the show. Tell Mick that 'The Broken Hearted Four' are here." The big security guard checked his clip board.

"Okay, you can come in, but I only see two of you."

Naruto grinned. "The third and fourth are right here." He said poking the side of Natsu's head and motioning to his own also. "Natsu-chan's alter ego Fuyu-chan, and of course the other me, the quiet emo sulky one, Kuro." the bouncer looked at the two like they were crazy, but decided to let them pass. The truth was tat Fuyu-chan was the happy, romantic side of Natsu that had been locked away for a while. Kuro was the 'Inner Naruto' who was usually a moody bitch.

"Go backstage through that door on the left of the stage. You're on in ten minutes." The two teenagers thanked him and left, running off to go set up and tune their instruments. There they were greeted by a tall brown haired man with glasses. He wore baggy jeans with a rip in the right knee and a loose long sleeved black shirt.

"Hey, you guys must be 'The Broken Hearted Three'. I'm Mick. We spoke on the phone. Naruto and Natsu, right?"

"Yup!" Naruto said eagerly. This was their first paid gig. Both of them were very anxious.

"Well," Mick said clearly a bit frazzled himself, "You don't have much time, but you can go set up over there, I'll come get you two minutes before you go on. Water? It's on the house."

Nah, not for me." Natsu replied pulling the water bottle out of her bag. "I've already got some."

"Um, I'll have a glass please! Thanks!" Naruto said giddily, already flipping the clasps on his guitar case.

The two tuned their instruments, and all too soon, Mick came back for their two minute warning. He had two microphones in hand, and he had someone from the staff setting up mike stands amps and stools for them to sit on or rest their water on top of. "You guys can sing four songs, okay? I'll be back stage, so if at the end of the fourth one the crowd seems happy, I'll give you a signal to keep on going. You'll get a bonus for each extra song. That sound good?"

The two agreed enthusiastically. Mick went in front of the curtain with Natsu's microphone to introduce them. They came out and the crowd cheered, and the white spotlight turned red as they began to play their first number.

Naruto started playing some soft cords in the background, and Natsu introduced the song. "Okay! This one's called 'All Alone'. I hope you guys like it!" She joined Naruto on the guitar, and the chords got louder and harder, but quieted down right away when she started singing.

_Natsu **Both**_

"_Tears slide down glass,_

_Outside it's raining._

_The sky cries for the,_

_**Sad and the broken hearted.**_

_She can't let go of herself._

_Spinning in circles,_

_As slowly she's falling._

_Moonlight,_

_**A spotlight to put you on the scene.**_

_In daytime,_

_Know that everyone is watching._

_Your every move is judged,_

_And nothing you do will,_

_Ever be good enough,_

_For them._

_**For him.**_

_Run away and,_

_Run faster._

_You'll never make it there like this,_

_Dear._

_Know what you want,_

_And know that you have to chase it._

_Nothing comes for free to those who are saddened by,_

_Someone screams,_

_**A moment is frozen just for her.**_

_Sees something,_

_Horrible,_

_Can't be described with words._

_It's nothing,_

_That's what she tells herself,_

_Every morning._

_Only a mater of time,_

_Until she leaves it all,_

_Behind,_

_**The lies,**_

_The uncovered truths,_

_And no one is watching you,_

_**Tonight.**_

_Unloved,_

_It hurts,_

_Doesn't it?"_

They had edited the lyrics a bit, but it was basically the same song hat she had written on Friday.

They played a second song, 'Summer Rain' that she had also written that day, and just before starting the third song, she spotted _him _in the audience.

Black shirt, black pants, black hair, black attitude. He sat alone at a small table in the back nursing a soda, watching the stage intently, waiting for another number impatiently. She came up with an idea. She bent down to get a sip of her water, and went on to play the third song. She knew these next two had to be good, because she would need time to play a fifth one for what she had in mind. The third song she played was called 'Sorrow and Misery'. She had written it a few weeks ago. She had been having a very off day that day. The crowd loved it, and she noticed that he was cheering excitedly, acting very out of character. It was hard to see though because of the bright spotlights. She only caught glimpses of him when the lights flashed on Naruto instead of her.

She strummed the opening chords to the last song, her solo. It was always their finishing number. It was called 'Amnesia'.

"_So you forgot,_

_All about me,_

_I have to know,_

_Was it that easy?_

_Just to give up._

_I would like that,_

_A little, too much._

_Just to lie down and,_

_Not have to get up,_

_Again._

_So I never have to face you,_

_You don't remember,_

_But I do._

_All too vivid, the crash and the blood,_

_Memories scarred,_

_And melodies lost._

_You can't remember a thing._

_Maybe it's better that way for you._

_It hurts but I'm being selfish,_

_I've only ever wanted to do what's best for you._

_So suddenly I don't matter._

_I'm alright with that,_

_I can pretend._

_Inside I'm breaking,_

_But outside,_

_Retain composure._

_I watch you from afar,_

_I don't know who you are,_

_Anymore._

_What secrets do you have now?_

_You had none from me,_

_But now my very existence,_

_Something you're not allowed to see._

_I'm the curse,_

_The black plague,_

_Upon your perfect world,_

_The one string out of place,_

_Pull too hard and you'll get hurt._

_Unravel everything,_

_The lies,_

_The story made up to hide,_

_What we had,_

_It's not fair."_

She played the ending chords, bowed, and thanked the audience. She saw Mick motioning for her to come.

"Good! Good! Yo got one more?"

"Always." Natsu replied calmly. She looked to Naruto. He was flushed and a thin sheet of sweat covered his brow. "Only hope." She told him before sending him back out. "I have to ask Mick something. You go on ahead, I'll be right back. Announce us, would ya?"

Naruto looked at her, puzzled, but did as he was told. He was never one to question her logic, because she didn't usually make any sense to anyone other than herself.

"Hey Mick, there's a kid in the back, around my height, black clothes, black hair, pale skin, general bitchy-emo look about him, his name is Uchiha Sasuke. This next one is for him, so could you like, shine a spotlight on him or something?" He looked at her mischievously.

"Sure thing. Anything for love." He said suggestively. Natsu realized what he meant and shook her head vehemently.

"It's not for me! It's for Naruto." Mick looked a bit shocked, but told her that he would. Natsu ran back on stage.

She picked up her guitar, and Naruto was standing behind an electric keyboard that had been set up before they even came on.

"This song is for a little someone named Uchiha Sasuke, from one of our less known members, Kuro." The spotlight quickly found Sasuke, who looked quite surprised. His face even flushed a little pink and he looked down at the floor quickly.

"_There's a song that's inside of my soul.  
It's the one that I've tried to write over and over again  
I'm awake in the infinite cold.  
But you sing to me over and over and over again._

So, I lay my head back down.  
And I lift my hands and pray  
To be only yours, I pray, to be only yours  
I know now you're my only hope.

Sing to me the song of the stars.  
Of your galaxy dancing and laughing and laughing again.  
When it feels like my dreams are so far  
Sing to me of the plans that you have for me over again.

So I lay my head back down.  
And I lift my hands and pray  
To be only yours, I pray, to be only yours  
I know now, you're my only hope. 

I give you my destiny.  
I'm giving you all of me.  
I want your symphony, singing in all that I am  
At the top of my lungs, I'm giving it back.

So I lay my head back down.  
And I lift my hands and pray  
To be only yours, I pray, to be only yours  
I pray, to be only yours  
I know now you're my only hope.

hmmmmm, hmmmmm, oooooh."

At the end, Natsu and Naruto took a bow and walked off stage. Naruto remained calm until they were out of view of the audience, but not for long after.

"Oh my gosh Natsu! What the heck was that for!!!!!! And, why from Kuro!" He was practically jumping up and down. He was even waving his fists in the air.

"Well," Natsu said diplomatically, "Would you have preferred me to say from Naruto with lots of love?" He blushed several shades of red at the very thought.

"N…No! But, why did you do it in the first place!"

Natsu smirked knowingly at him over her shoulder as she walked through the door and back into the club. "Because it had to be done."

Of course, the subject couldn't be put to rest there, because who was waiting for her outside that door? None other that the aforementioned Uchiha Sasuke. And he didn't look too happy either (not that he usually does).

**Yay! Long chapter! Even though it wasn't very good.**

**Thanks to all the people who reviewed, the last song, "Only Hope" isn't mine, it's Mandy Moore's, but the other two are written by me.**

**The next chapter, Natsu and Sasuke will argue, and argue, and bitch, and argue. But don't worry, that won't be the whole thing, I just haven't completely planned it out yet.**

**EVERYTHING'S MORE FUN WHEN THERE ARE ALTER EGOES!!!! R&R PLEASE!**


	6. Chapter 6: Making progress

**Okie, not much to say, so ENJOY! **

* * *

"What the hell!" He yelled furiously. Natsu stopped in her tracks and Naruto bumped into her from behind.

"Hey!" The blonde said aggravated, "What did you stop for!" Natsu was pretty sure he said something else, probably something colorful, but Sasuke drowned him out.

"How the hell did you find me! And, what are you guys doing here, and who in the hell is Kuro?" Natsu wanted to laugh at his overreaction, but decided that provoking him wouldn't help any, so she fought to play it cool and detached.

"The broken hearted _four,_ Uchiha. Naruto, Kuro, Fuyu and me, Natsu." She said very matter-of-factly. Sasuke didn't look impressed by her logic however.

"Then why are there only _two_ of you?" Natsu laughed, not a lot, but she did laugh a little.

"For me and Naru to know, and for you to maybe find out. Depends on who ya know and how well ya know 'em." She then took Naruto's wrist and dragged him off to go get a soda before leaving. She felt like an actress in a really cheesy movie, but it was strangely fulfilling.

"Ne, ne, Natsu-chan, why'd you have to go and be so mean to him? I know he can be a bastard, but-" Natsu cut him off. "But he's a beautiful bastard." She said half playfully half seriously. Naruto pouted.

"Hey! Don't tell me you're after Sasuke too!" This last part was whispered, but he did sound sort of worried.

"Naru! I'm insulted! You think I would move in on your territory? Let alone that I would like a stoic stick-up-his-ass bastard like him?!? Come on!!!" Naruto looked a bit sad.

"But, you _did_ just call him beautiful." He said, although it sounded like he knew he had lost the argument.

"Hah! I'm an artist! I appreciate beauty! And he _is_ beautiful, but I don't like him. _At all._" There was an awkward silence. "Hey, let's go get a drink." Naruto agreed, and the two teens went off and got some sodas at the bar. A few people approached them to tell them how good they were, but the compliments were all brushed off.

Naruto was wondering what was wrong with Natsu. She wasn't usually so awkward with him. She was using her 'Natsu Logic' that no one could win against, because it made no sense. And she was using it on him too! She hadn't done that since that accident. Back then, no one had been able to talk to her for days without being attacked by her vicious sarcasm and biting words.

He sipped his sprite and watched Sasuke's retreating figure as he walked out of the crowded club angrily. He looked over to Natsu who wasn't paying attention to anything at all, and decided that she wouldn't mind if he was gone for a few minutes. He got up and ran after Sasuke, pushing aside the people who were in his way, muttering a repeating string of "Sorry" and "Excuse me" over his shoulder as he went.

Out in the parking lot, the cold air hit him, but he kept running. Sasuke had had a big lead on him, but he managed to catch him walking down the sidewalk and around the corner. When he was about ten feet away from the Uchiha, he called out to him.

"Sasuke!" The raven haired teen stopped walking and turned around, an impatient scowl upon his face. Naruto stopped when he caught up with him and panted a few times before speaking again.

"Look, I just wanted to apologize for Natsu. She's having a tough time." Sasuke scoffed.

"I don't need you to apologize for her. I don't need anything from anyone." His words were so cold, Naruto was taken aback.

"You can't honestly mean that." He said softly, but Sasuke stood by it.

"No one ever gave me anything worth keeping, no one every tried to help or understand me, I don't need friends, I don't need people." He started walking away but turned around again when he heard Naruto mutter "Then why did you come tonight?"

"Why?" He spat out. "Why? You want to know why? Because that's the dump where my brother used to work. That's the place where he died, the place where everything was set into motion. That's why. I go to remind myself how much pain being with people has put me through, to remind me that I don't need people, because I'm only gonna get hurt again." He stood there, daring Naruto to challenge him, and he did.

"You need to talk to someone. Why don't you tell someone everything that happened from the beginning?"

"No one would listen."

"I would." A look that Naruto couldn't place appeared on Sasuke's face before he walked away and got into his black car and sped off, but Naruto didn't try to stop him this time. He had made a bit of progress with Sasuke, and he was happy about it. He went back to Natsu with a broad smile on his face, but she was too out of it to bother to ask him why.

"Yo Natsu… Anyone home?" he said jokingly waving his hand in front of her face. It was already twelve fifty three, and he knew Kurenai's curfew for Natsu was one in the morning. She still had to drop him off, and at this rate, they were going to be late.

Natsu looked up at him, but the sad look of her eyes made the breath catch in his throat. Her light green eyes looked so helpless, so dead, so defeated. She was in no condition to be driving, so he took his guitar and hers and asked her to get up and follow him.

He put the instruments in the back of the car, and opened the passenger seat door for his friend. She must have known that driving was a bad idea for her, because she didn't object. She just got in and waited as Naruto shut the door and went over to the other side. She handed him the keys, and he stuck them in the ignition. He pulled out of the parking lot and drove to his place. He was planning on brining her to her own house and then just borrowing the car, he knew she wouldn't mind, but felt like maybe she needed someone to talk to.

So he let her into his small apartment, and grabbed the phone to call and tell Kurenai that Natsu was sleeping over. She didn't min, because she knew that Naruto was gay and that Natsu was in no condition for a relationship right now. After the plans were set, Naruto went to his room, changed the sheets, and cleaned the floor a bit, putting the laundry in the hamper and shoving the clean ones back into a drawer of his dresser.

He went back to Natsu who was sitting on his couch strumming chords on her guitar, and told her that she could sleep in his bed and he'd take the couch. She nodded, put away the guitar and walked to the bathroom where her bag was kept in the cupboard under the sink. She had a backpack with extra clothes and a toothbrush at Naruto's place just n case she ever decided on a whim to stay over.

She changed into her pajamas, blue checkered flannel pants that were way too long, and a plain brown T-shirt. She crawled into Naruto's bed, and went straight to sleep. Naruto looked in on her five minutes later to see if she was still awake, but decided that as much as he wanted to talk to her about her problem, she needed the sleep even more.

* * *

**Okie, short and not so good, but I have some ideas for later. And I think they're pretty good. Maybe not in the next chapter, but soon… heh.**


	7. Chapter 7: Just Talk

**Well, I'm not so sure how this is going to turn out, this is one of those chapters where I don't write anything beforehand, I just take the computer and type. Let's see how this'll turn out, because even I don't know yet.**

**Dessi: Smacks authoress with a chair.**

**Me: Meep! Run and cower in fear from the almighty chair of dooooooooooooooooooooooooooom!!!**

**Dessi: Smacks forehead and walks away. Retard...**

**On with the chapter, me no own Naruto! –cries-**

Naruto woke up and rolled over on his bed. Except that he wasn't in his bed, he was on the couch. And the couch was small, so he rolled over and fell right onto the floor. He rubbed his head where it had smacked against the side of the accursed piece of furniture.

He heard a soft laugh coming from the direction of the kitchen.

"So you're up?" Natsu said as she poked her head over the top of the couch. She looked down at her best friend curled up on the floor rubbing the side of his head, matted blonde hair plastered to his face from a night of restless sleep.

Her long black hair was held up in a messy bun, loose strands falling all around her pale face. She wore her glasses, chunky black plastic framed things, very nerdy looking, but she somehow managed to pull it off very well. She was still wearing her pajamas, and she had a mechanical pencil in her hand.

"I made ramen." At this, the blonde's eyes lit up and he forgot any pain in his head. He jumped up and smiled at her, before walking past and heading off to the kitchen.

"Thank you!!!" He yelled over his shoulder.

Naruto grabbed a pair of chopsticks and attacked the bowl of steaming noodles. In front of the second chair was a half eaten bowl of ramen and Natsu's black notebook. Words were scrawled across a blank page, messy handwriting curving and twisting across the paper.

_Who'd have thought this road that we travel on,_

_Would lead us right back where we started,_

_Back where we belong._

_And who'd have thought these mountains that I have climbed,_

_Would help me on my journey for the truth,_

_To find…_

_A brighter place where we belong._

_To find the right words for the song,_

_To lead you back into my arms,_

_To find a place where we,_

_Belong._

It didn't look like it was finished, but that was where the lyrics ended. Naruto guessed that this was what Natsu had been working on this morning while eating her ramen. They were good.

The sound of running water distracted him from his contemplation. He turned and saw Natsu washing the dirty dishes that had been left in the sink for the past four or five days. He had lost track…

"Aw, you don't have to do that Natsu-chan!" She looked over her shoulder, still scrubbing a glass with some sort of brown liquid in the bottom, probably an old coke glass.

"It's okay. It's the least I can do. You brought me here last night and put me up and all." She waved one hand while speaking, a funny habit of hers and got some water on her face that she wiped off with the back of her arm. Naruto grinned. How easily old habits came back, even when everything else seemed a bit off.

That was how he was feeling today. Like something was off-balance. Maybe he had just hit his head a bit hard falling off the couch. He heard Natsu humming an unfamiliar tune.

"Watcha singing Natsu-chan?" He asked eagerly. He always loved to hear her new material.

"Oh, I don't really know myself. It kinda just came to me this morning out of nowhere, and I haven't written it down yet." Naruto smiled broadly. He grabbed a loose-leaf piece of paper and a pen that were lying on the kitchen table, presumably for some homework assignment he hadn't done, and prepared to write.

"Please, dictate." He said with a false British accent. Natsu laughed softly.

"We've gotta be faster, stronger,

Than we ever were before.

We're gonna keep going, and going,

'Cause we've never been more sure.

And every moment that we waste,

Another life will be replaced,

In your heart.

Your cold, cold heart.

And every battle I have lost,

Every opponent I have faced,

Is coming back to me tonight.

And all the words,

And all the sounds,

The cold,

Disapproving stares,

Of my life…"

It was a bit more of a rock number. To Naruto, it sounded like a chorus and a verse. He liked it though.

"Not bad!" He said appreciatively. His friend smiled and sat back down at the table.

"So…" She began. "What are we doing today?" She propped her right elbow up on the table and rested her chin in her hand. She looked down at the paper, attempting to make sense of the incomprehensible scrawl that her best friend called handwriting.

She didn't know why, but Natsu felt like something was wrong today. She was probably just paranoid though. She sighed deeply. Before getting up again.

"Okay. I'm gonna call Kurenai." She said. "Can I use your phone?" He nodded, and dialed home. She waited three rings before her aunt picked up.

"Hey! Aunt Kurenai, I'm at Naruto's, but I think I'm coming home soon."

"_Alright Natsu-chan. Do you want to bring Naru-chan? I made cookies again! Oatmeal raisin today."_ Natsu's aunt had recently picked up the hobby of baking, and was really very good.

"Umm… hold on. I'll ask him" She covered the mouthpiece of the black phone with her palm and turned to face her friend.

"Hey Naruto, you wanna come over? There are cookies." Naruto shook his head.

"Sorry Natsu-chan. I think I may be busy today…" She nodded and told him it was okay.

"Sorry Kurenai-obasan. Naruto's busy today."

"_Okay. Well, come home soon. You have homework."_ Natsu sighed and hung up the phone, promising to be home in the next fifteen minutes.

She left Naruto to go change into her clothes from the day before, shoving her pajamas in a plastic supermarket bag.

"See ya Monday Naru!" She said to her friend who had walked her to the door.

"Ja ne Natsu-chan!" She climbed into her car and drove off, not noticing that she had both guitars in the back seat.

**Well, I don't think it turned out _too_ bad, but tell me honestly what you think.**

**Shameless Advertising:**

**Please read my SasuNaru fic 'How Did It All Happen'. I need two more reviews on the latest chapter for there to be another one!!! –grins pleadingly-**


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